timothee chalamet and the athlete mentality

Timothee Chalamet won Best Actor at the SAG awards this year. He looked kind of surprised when his name was announced, but he got up and said the following::

I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much this means to me, but the truth is this was five years of my life. I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honor of a life time playing him. It's an honor I share with Monica, Elle, Edward, the entire cast, who, in a genre doin’ a biopic that could be perhaps tired, everyone gave it their all. So deeply grateful to them.

And lastly, I can't downplay the significance of this award. Cause it means the most to me. And I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight. I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and I want to be up there. So I’m deeply grateful. This doesn’t signify that, but it’s a little more fuel. It’s a little more ammo to keep going. Thank you so much.

This was all over my Twitter feed, lauded for it's earnestness and for the post-game-press-conference quality of its ambition. TC provably knows his sports stuff so I wasn't surprised, exactly, to hear him mention actors and athletes in the same breath. But I think this is real contrast to how success is generally talked about in the arts? The trenches of the arts are unglamorous in a way that is pretty widely known (in the same SAG program, Jessica Williams talks about living her dream of enthusiastically auditioning for a director who is enthusiastically eating a salad), at least compared to the bush leagues of sports. The day to day activity of the arts (putting on costumes, pretending) also seem more embarrassing and prima facie absurd than 😤 💯 hustle culture would permit?

Successful artists usually seem to cultivate a kind of careful aloofness. Viola Davis isn't in tabloids, she's above all that. Maybe that's the way to claw towards objectivity in a subjective business¹: pretend not to care about success. Or better yet, actually do not care.

I turned 26 last week, and yesterday I heard back from the last of my PhD applications. I got rejected from every single program I applied to. I cared a lot about that. I care a lot about my life, which is inching by but kind of feels like its going no where. I worry that I will not be able to accomplish all the things I wish to accomplish ².

PM also wrote about detachment vs. commitment and resilience this week — same brain — but so many more good threads there. Tennis being about speed, depending on "feel", and catalyzed by the desire to try. Feeling like an idiot, but a willing one, when you buy in to these rise-and-grind sports narratives.

I remember sometimes that when I got the emailing confirming my Meta layoff, and my first instinct was to laugh. Nothing to overcome, just pure, cynical comedy. I'm not as funny any more³. Life, PM says, is quieting these thoughts regardless of their legitimacy⁴. I still love sports. I remember PK saying that they are "machines for drama" and I feel that, every week. I am growing my appreciation for the physical feats of sports, the measurable incredibleness, the instinctive, repetitive movements that make athletes impressive.